Automail
by Jishuteki Reikon
Summary: Ed's automail is acting up during work, so he takes a little break, something he hasn't done in a while. A break is just what our alchemist needs on a cold and rainy day, and Al and the military men (plus Hawkeye) agree.
1. Disconnect

**AN: Okay, so this is my first fanfic on this site, so it may not be (aka, probably isn't) that good. But hey, that's life, you know? Anyway, Ed might be out of character, but it's cold, and rainy, and he's tired. That isn't a good combination for a kid with automail. Mustang and his crew, I believe, really care for Ed and Al, so this fic came up. Enjoy!**

**Automail**

Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, the hero of the people, walked his fourteen year old self into Colonel Mustang's office in pain. It was raining outside, and it was also cold. Not a good day for a person with automail.

Scowling, limping, he flung the door of the Colonel's office room open, causing it to slam against the wall with a bang. Ed stalked up to the Colonel's desk and dropped the sloppily written mission report on it, ignoring the calls of "Hey Ed!" and "Hey Chief!"

Turning around, he also ignored Mustang's comment on his height and messy report, instead choosing to gingerly sit himself on the couch and pull his legs to his chest, closing his eyes. _I hate the rain, _he thought to himself. He heard Al walk in the room, saying hello to Havoc, Breda, Mustang, Hawkeye, Fuery, and Falman. They greeted him in return.

"You okay, Chief?" Havoc asked in concern.

Ed cracked open an eye and grunted in response.

Alphonse answered for him, "Nii-san's automail causes him pain in cold or rainy weather." They could hear worry in the tinny voice of the younger brother. Directing his voice to Ed, he said, "Maybe you should take it off, just for a few minutes. It's helped before."

Ed looked at the Colonel with eyes that were half-lidded with weariness. "Do you mind, Colonel Bastard?"

Rolling his eyes, Mustang shook his head.

Ed unfurled from his tight ball. He shrugged off his coat and jacket, wincing as his automail moved. Rolling up the leg of his pants, he inspected the aching port. The skin around it was red and slightly swollen. Sighing, Ed rubbed the aching stump, and then tinkered with the joint around his knee. The artificial limp came off with a slight popping noise.

He sighed again, but this time in minor relief. The pain was still there, but as the pressure he had felt previously was gone, it was much less intense. His fingers traveled up to his shoulder, which was exposed, as he had only a black tank top on. The fingers flew over a few buttons and gears, and the arm also popped off. Ed closed his eyes for a moment in bliss, savoring a lightness he hadn't felt in some time.

Opening his eyes once again, he moved the abandoned limbs from his lap to the floor next to the couch. He saw Al move closer to him and sit on the floor with a small _clank!_

His brother quietly said, "Nii-san, you should get some rest. You didn't sleep well last night."

But Edward shook his head. "I can't, Al, I'm at work." Contradictorily, as he said this, he laid back on the couch, closing his brilliant golden eyes.

He was breathing deeply and evenly within minutes.

"Sure you can't, Nii-san," Al joked gently, even though the sleeping boy couldn't hear him. Looking up to the Colonel, he apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, Colonel, but it's been raining all night, and Nii-san didn't get much sleep…"

Mustang held up his hand, stopping the boy's words. "It's quite alright, Alphonse. Sometimes I forget that he's just a kid," he said softly.

"Me too," Breda said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well, he acts like an adult, and hates it when we treat him like a child," Havoc pointed out.

"He just had to grow up so soon," Hawkeye said in a rare moment of softness.

"Yeah," Fuery agreed. "And he looks so peaceful when he's sleeping."

It was true. The golden haired alchemist's brow wasn't furrowed in thought like it usually was, and his mouth wasn't situated in a frown.

"He always does," Alphonse said sadly. It was a pity his brother's day couldn't be as calm as his night.

The door opened and closed. It happened a few minutes later, again, and then a blanket was draped over the small body on the couch. The body's fist closed into it and curled up onto its side, making the tiny form even smaller. The alchemical prodigy muttered something in his sleep, and then settled down.

"I really wish Nii-san got more sleep," Al said.

Truth knew he needed it.

**AN: So, that's it. Hope you liked it! Feel free to review, and thanks for reading. I accept constructive criticism, but any flames will be directed to the appropriate alchemist.**

**-Teki**


	2. Reconnect

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I decided to add one more chapter to this fic. It's just a continuation of last chapter. Enjoy!**  
**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or FMAB.**

* * *

Ed felt warm. He could feel a rough blanket draped across his shoulders, and vaguely wondered who had put it there. Al, maybe?

He shifted gently, and remembered he was on a couch in the Colonel's office. Had he fallen asleep? It certainly seemed like he had. Ed smiled in contentment. He was so warm and the blanket was so soft and his automail didn't hurt anymore and he just felt better than he had in a while. He heard the gentle clanking of Al's armor next to him, watching over him, and he also heard the soft noises of the Colonel and his subordinates working. It seemed that they were taking extra care not to be loud, so they didn't wake him.

Ed let out a sigh. He could tell, content though he was, he wasn't going to fall back asleep. He cracked open his eyes, and squinted as bright light assaulted him.

"Nii-san? Are you awake?" Al's voice asked.

Ed sat up, yawning. "Yeah." He raised his arm above his head, stretching. Turning his golden eyes downward, he spotted his silver automail on the floor. A surge of unease coursed through him. He wouldn't be able to walk without his leg, and he'd be damned if anyone saw Al carrying him like a baby through Eastern Command Center. It couldn't be helped...

"Al, hand me my automail, would you?" He chucked off the blanket, and it landed in a heap on the floor.

" Sure Nii-san. Want your tools, too?"

"Yeah." Ed stretched again, his back cracking in a satisfying way. He swung himself into a sitting position, deciding to ignore the fact that his foot barely touched the ground because damn it, he wasn't short.

Alphonse set the automail arm and leg onto the warm couch. He then proceeded to take his right foot off.

"Why are you taking your foot off, Al?" Fuery asked.

Ed looked around and realized that the Colonel and his officers were looking at them, having noticed that he was awake.

Mustang smirked at him. "Have a nice nap, Fullmetal?"

"Shove off, bastard." Ed said, irritated. He was in a bad mood now. He had fallen asleep like a little kid in Mustang's office, and he had to reconnect his automail. He turned to Fuery. "Al keeps some tools in his foot for small repairs."

Havoc looked curious. "Why in his foot?"

Al answered, "It's a really convenient place to put things."

"Are you going to need any help, Edward?" Hawkeye asked.

Ed grimaced. "Yeah, if you would."

Breda stretched. "We could use a break from all this paperwork, anyway." He stood, with Falman, Havoc, and Fuery following his lead.

Ed turned his attention to his automail. He took the leg and popped it into the port, making sure everything was in place, with a little help from Al. He did the same to his arm.

"Havoc, Breda, could you hold Nii-san down, please?" Al asked politely.

As they moved to Ed, one on each side, Falman asked, "Hold him down?"

"You see, it hurts to reconnect automail, and Nii-san kind of thrashes around a bit..."

"He'll be okay, right?" Fuery asked, worried.

"Heh, I'll be fine. It's not that bad." Ed grinned in reassurance.

"Good," Mustang said. "I don't want you passing out in my office. You wouldn't match the decor. I only let you sleep here because Havoc thought you looked like a cute little kid."

"Hey! I did not!"

"Sir, maybe you should get back to your paperwork," Hawkeye suggested, before Ed could start ranting. Though, her tone made it sound more like an order, and her hand went to her gun.

Mustang swallowed. "Yeah... Yeah, I'll do that." He grabbed a stack of white paper off his desk and started scribbling on it.

"Here are your tools, Nii-san!" Alphonse said, handing a few small wrenches to his brother.

"Thanks... Falman, Fuery, can you take these wrenches and tighten these screws? These, right here..." Edward pointed at a few screws around both his ports.

Fuery looked a little nervous, and Falman had a slightly concerned look on his face as he took the tools.

"Okay, just tighten them on three," Ed said when they had the wrenches on the appropriate screws.

He set his jaw and swallowed. Now came the worst part. "Okay... One... Two... Three!" Blinding pain coursed through him and he grunted, clenching his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut. His muscles locked up as the automail connected to his nerves. He vaguely heard someone asking if he was alright, as if from a distance. He let out a long, loud breath and opened his eyes.

Concerned faces looked down at him.

Mustang's snarky voice said, "You okay, Fullmetal pipsqueak?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD RIDE DOWN A SNOWY HILL ON A BUTTON AND STILL HAVE ROOM FOR ANOTHER PERSON, YOU JERK?!"

"He's okay."

* * *

**Omake:**

"Okay, just tighten them on three."

"WAIT. On three or after three?"

A chorus of voices floated around.

"On three!"

"After three!"

"NO! It's on three, you idiot!"

"ARGH! Lets just go already!"

"FINALLY... One... Two... Three!... DANG IT THAT HURT!" He had two flashes of pain at different times, instead of at the same time.

"Oops... Yeah, it was on three..."

"YOU IDIOT!"

* * *

**AN: Hope you liked it! This is the last addition to this story. Feel free to review, constructive criticism appreciated, flames directed to you-know-who, blah blah blah. And yes, Al keeps automail tools in his foot. Thanks for reading!**


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